"Normally the second season should be better than the first, but again, this is modern football". Their style of play was enjoyable to watch throughout - but it often became a question of which Manchester City side was going to show up.

Guardiola said: "Hopefully next season I will be here and we are not going to spend how we spent this season".

The likes of Delph and Nasri seem to be headed out as there is no place for them in this already star studded midfield.

Glass half empty: It has been a quiet summer so far in the transfer market and the club are yet to bring in the calibre of players many pundits claim will be necessary to stay in the Premier League. Wilfried Bony should in all possibility be on the way out, not that it would affect the Manchester club in any way.

"I want to continue with what we did in the last three games of pre-season", said Guardiola.

Third placed City finished 15 points behind Premier League championsChelsea, crashed out of the Champions League against Monaco and failed to reach either of the domestic cup finals.

With Ederson between the sticks and Kompany placed in the middle of the back three along side Otamendi and Stones, the defence looks as solid as any other strong side in the league.

"That is why the club was clever to do that because we anticipated what we needed and we tried to do our best, not just for next season but the future". Subs:B Silva 6, Sterling 6, Sane 6.

Danilo, a right-footed left back, was less impressive but he is likely to play second fiddle to Benjamin Mendy once the Frenchman recovers from the thigh strain that kept him out on Saturday.

Kevin De Bruyne appealed for a penalty when his shot struck the arm of Dunk, but referee Oliver shook his head. Pep must try to somewhat reassure Sancho that youngsters will be given a chance this season. The most predictable, however, is the 3-5-2 and the 4-2-3-1/4-3-3.

The party atmosphere at the Amex Stadium never suffered, though Brighton registered just a single shot in an opening half that saw one of the entertainers of last season's Championship season display a steelier side.

That came at a time when City were continuing to enjoy around 80 per cent of the possession, and yours truly was nearly certainly not the only one wondering how they will fare against Europe's elite if it takes them this long to break down little Brighton.